Tika (female bobcat)

Name: Tika
Species: Bobcat, female
Born: November 1999
Came to the EFRC: August 2001
From: Indiana
A family in northern Indiana said that they had researched bobcats for 2 years before deciding to buy one. They paid several hundred dollars for a 12-week-old kitten from a breeder in Wisconsin. They had her spayed & declawed and kept her in their house. The family later had to sell their farm & move into a house in town. Apparently, their research failed to reveal that all big cats spray & scent mark their territory. As the house began to reek of urine, the husband demanded that Tika find a new home. The Hardy Lake's Rehabilitation Center agreed to take her on a trial basis to see if they could use her for programming. Although she had been friendly to the family that owned her, she did not like strangers. After several months of working with Tika, they decided to bring her to the EFRC.

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